The present invention is an improvement over that of co-pending application Ser. No. 691,416 in that it is designed for use with standard "Leroy-Raney" clips and employs a dispenser wherein the clips are contained in a magazine and expelled singly. The dispenser uses a piston to push the clips through a tapered tunnel. Passage through the tunnel forces the clip jaws open. An indentation in the distal end of the tunnel accommodates the cut scalp edge. When a clip is completely expelled from the tunnel, it clamps onto the section of the scalp which lies between the sides of the tunnel. Release of the piston allows the next clip in the magazine to be advanced into position. A flexible diaphragm or stop keeps the leading clip in position until the piston handle is squeezed. The clips are advanced in the magazine by a resiliently biased pusher element.
The Leroy-Raney clip is a plastic spring clip with jaws which are normally biased toward one another. The jaws have rearward portions with protrusions which are adapted to be engaged by a scissors like applicator to pry the jaws apart. Through the applicator, the clips are applied in one-at-a-time fashion. After the application of each clip, a new clip must be singly loaded into the applicator.
A clip similar to the Leroy-Raney type may be seen from U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,902. FIGS. 1-3 of that patent show a clip with protrusions somewhat similar to those of the Leroy-Raney clip employed in the dispenser of the present invention. That patent also shows various scissor-type applicators for installing such clips in one-at-a-time fashion.
Other surgical clips employing jaws which are normally biased toward one another may be seen from U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,437 and West German Pat. No. 2730691. These clips are also designed to be applied in one-at-a-time fashion.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,508,253 and 4,530,453 are also considered of interest in that they relate to surgical clips arranged in magazine-like cartridges, and mechanical dispensers for these clips. The clips and dispensers are materially different from those forming the subject of the present application, however, in that they rely on anvil-like structures for their operation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,008 and the International Application published under No. WO 84/01280 on Apr. 12, 1984 are also of interest in that they disclose surgical clips contained in magazines. In the case of the latter patent and application, the clips are normally in an open condition and are latched into a closed condition during dispensing.